This has really generated more responses that I thought it would. It's interesting to read the different perspectives.

I do want to comment further on checking baggage. Polite or impolite, I avoid it 95% of the time. Alaska Airlines lost a bag of mine last year with three suits in it (tossed them in last minute and decided to do dry cleaning on the road) and from then on I vowed to check as little as possible, and almost never domestically.

I look at the onboard baggage space as first come, first served and therefore consider my elite early boarding to be among the most important perks of holding status.

Or bumped off the overbooked plane. I've heard that one too

But it's still no excuse for the gate lice.

M8

I've always thought that if you carry only one piece on board, that you are allowed to store it in the OHB, regardless of whether it is a laptop or other small case. But if you bring two pieces (or more ), you can only put the larger piece in the OHB. In fact, don't some FA's say this outright during boarding? I definitely think that people who bring only a small bag onboard ought not be penalized

And I guess I'm still pretty old school in that I really don't like my laptop on the floor, just in case there is a static discharge from the carpet or seat frame.

Even worse than the gate lice are the airlines that don't appreciate their Elite flyers. When we used to fly ATA, we boarded as early as possible because my husband and I commuted together and normally took exit row 10DE. There was space in front for a carry-on, but some of the FAs were absolutely anal about not allowing a bag there, even if it fit all the way under the seat. Unfortunately, our commute is MDW/MCO, and they are much more used to leisure travelers. Half the time they never even bothered to call Elite boarding before asking for pre-boarding families. I got in the habit of lining up early, flouncing up when they called for families, putting on my brightest smile, and saying, "I'm sure you just forgot to announce the pre-board for your very best customers, right?" Eventually, the gate agents got to know us and never forgot to call Elite first when they saw us milling around. But sadly, ATA bailed, and how we're Southwest hoi polli.

Delta GA's are very firm about boarding pax in the zone printed on the BP. Queing up at the gate does no good, as far as I can tell. That does not prevent gate lice, so I have to assume it's ignorance.

Last week in CLE, I had to run an obstacle course around an entire family group of 6 who had sat on the floor in front of the boarding area, effectively cutting off any pax boarding before them. As firm as the GA's are, I'd like to hear an occasional announcement clearing the floor of the lice.

And no, I don't think it's a snob thing.

Great response! I am sick of the rollaboard-toters (most of whom seem to think the suitcases they use are called "rollerboards" based on the text in their posts) that think rollaboard suitcases have some sort of priority over smaller items in the overhead bin space. It's amazing how many posts I've seen recently that describe people putting smaller items in the overheads as 'bin hogs' even though our items take up less volume than a rollaboard.

FAs often perpetuate the myth that rollaboards trump smaller carry-ons as far as bin space is concerned. Why? Because it's easier for them to twist people's arms to stow smaller items under seats than to deal with the temper tantrums that many rollaboarders throw when they're told they have to gate-check a suitcase because the bins are full.

ender83 has the right attitude--when you bring a rollaboard on board, you are taking a risk--if the bins are full, it will have to be checked. It's too bad so many other rollaboard users feel they have 'first dibs' on bin space.

The funniest sight in the whole gammit of gate lice events is when they call first class boarding only and let's say 16 people show up...on a CO 735 with only 6 FC seats!

There was a major infestation today at SNA. There were (I counted) 39 pax hanging around the boarding area. What I found most ridiculous is when F was called I attempted to pass a woman who was chatting away on her cell phone forever with a BP that clearly said Zone 5 (no status) she said to me "EXCUSE ME" and bolted in front of me to the g/a. Problem is, the g/a agent let her board. She headed all the way to the back of the bus still chatting. Shame on the g/a for letting her board.

I think a lot of the problem would be avoided if FAs made sure that people used the overhead bins over their seats. I don't want to board last and be forced to check my bag just because some jerk in 32A decided he didn't want to carry his bag the last 40 feet to his seat. Until I can be assured that I'll be able to board and stow my stuff, I guess I'll stand near the gate.

Y'know, before reading this thread, I had never heard the term gate lice. Thanks for telling me what you really think.

We need a similar name like "gate lice" for those who are forever on their cell phones.

M8

Busy Bees!

Somehow we need to combine the "gate lice" concept with what I've heard called "Cell Yell". You know the type - not only do they insist on being on the phone, but need to bellow into the phone to boot.

Thanks goodness "we're" not like "them".

Indeed, you're caught between the herd-followers and the people who know enough to know the carry-on space might be gone. I don't see many cases where it's gone by the time people get on the flight if they get on when the row number is called, but standbys and latecomers are often out of luck. This assumes, too, that there's some semblance of enforcement of carry-on limits at some level, even if not to the letter.

Would also say that U.S. domestic flights are generally in better shape than ones in places like southeast Asia. There, some LCCs make people line up for open seating a bit like Hawaiian Airlines does in the U.S. It's a worse version of the oft-heard complaint about Southwest.

Also, transpac flights out of Asia often get "gate lice" because of language barriers, general confusion or poor handling. Even otherwise fine carriers like SQ can often drop the ball in that area.

Too, you've sometimes got flights out of hubs (like MSP) with "too many elites" to call an elite boarding. Sometimes in those cases they'll call platinums and golds only and make the silvers board with everyone else.

This is one thing I like about NW's CRJ's and Saabs -- you can get check your bag and get it quickly when you get in ! No worrying about whether there's space to stow it ---

Bob H

This is one thing I like about NW's CRJ's and Saabs -- you can get check your bag and get it quickly when you get in ! No worrying about whether there's space to stow it ---

Bob H